[3830] CQWW CW KE3X SO(A)AB LP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW - 2019

Call: KE3X
Operator(s): KE3X
Station: KE3X

Class: SO(A)AB LP
QTH: District of Columbia
Operating Time (hrs): 29
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:   32     9       13
   80:  149    16       69
   40:  220    23       86
   20:  506    26      116
   15:  149    20       73
   10:   29     9       17
------------------------------
Total: 1082   103      374  Total Score = 1,415,259

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

In recent years I had been the beneficiary of the N3HBX/Poolesville superstation
for several CQWW events in this LP(A) category.   It was like a dream:  you
click - you dump in your call - you log it - in 20 seconds you click on the next
one.  If you get tired of clicking, you call CQ and you get some answers.   Now
that Poolesville is being dismantled, I appreciate John Evans' work in
maintaining that station and sharing it with PVRC for a decade more than ever.  
Thank you John!

Still, I find part of the fun of contesting is trying to get the most out of
your home station.   In the past year at KE3X I added several station
improvements:

1) upgraded my station computer to a new HP Pavilion desktop
2) switched from DXDoubler to u2R
3) upgraded 2nd radio from FT-1000MP to a second FT-5000
4) installed a single NE/SW K9AY loop (still a work in progress)
5) a manual tuner acquired from the N3HBX takedown
6) replaced the old 2-element C-3SS with a Bencher Skyhawk.   
7) significant amount of tree branch trimming so the Skyhawk would rotate
8) added a 3rd monitor in the shack

I was keen to see how all this new stuff would play in CQWW CW.   The Skyhawk
install took 2-months of work, and lots of physical work from my sons Patrick
K3PAL, Kody K3ODY, Aidan K3ADN and Connor (no callsign yet but he's working on
it).

Unfortunately you need your Butt In Chair to take advantage of those
improvements.   The week prior to the contest involved wake-up times of between
3-4AM each day for 'regular' work (that thing that pays for all the station
improvements).   By Friday evening I was pretty wiped out, but sat in front of
the radios anyway from 0000-0200 Zulu clicking on RBN spots.  After 75 QSO's
realized I just needed sleep.  Reading the comments from other competitors it's
clear Friday night was the much better night for low bands.   Oh well.   Woke up
at 6AM Saturday to find 20-Meters already open.   I figure missing Friday night
altogether probably cost me 300,000 points in the end.

But the 20-meter results were good, so I can say the 3 full-sized elements on
the Skyhawk are a significant improvement over the C-3SS in Forward Gain as well
as being quieter on receive.  That antenna is at 50 feet, and 11-feet over my
house.   Local zoning here limits a 'single antenna at no more than 12-feet over
the highest point of the roof', and the takeoff to Europe rises 300-feet over
the first mile.   So given all that, I am quite happy with the 10-15-20 meter
results for the Skyhawk.

But as often happens, on Saturday I got sucked in to the excitement of new Mults
from all over, and the log shows I put 29 hours in across the remainder of the
weekend.   The last 6 hours were painful, rates of 23, 23, 19, 18, 16 and 8. 
Ugh.   That's why you do the full 48 hours, as you never know when the best
propagation will be.   99% of QSO's were S&P or clicking spots.  Normally I
only run on Day 2 when the rates are lower, but by Sunday the propagation had
degraded to the point where running only produced a few Q's anyway.

Very impressed by the results of the 2BSIQ guys and their ability to keep awake
for 48-hours.  See you in ARRL DX CW, where Team DC will make sure the 'rare DC
Mult' is readily available.

73,

Ken KE3X


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